10 Popular Fast Food Items Customers Complain About The Most

A lot of people love fast food. After all, it's affordable, quick, and pretty darn tasty — well, in most cases, at least. Unfortunately, there are also many instances where certain food items from well-known fast food restaurant chains don't live up to the expectations customers have. And now with the internet being the perfect place to rant, especially with forums like Reddit, customers aren't shying away from revealing what's absolutely worth staying away from.

For some time, customers have been writing about many items that are very popular and have been on the menu at various fast food chains for ages. Many of them have expressed how these menu items used to be a hit once upon a time, but now every time they buy them, they are usually just left disappointed. While these aren't necessarily fast food items that have caused a lot of controversy, it seems like they could get there soon, considering the sheer number of complaints and reasons why these items seem to have let these customers down. Some of these complaints include fast food chains downsizing portions while increasing prices, or just in general, the items not tasting as good anymore.

To help keep you away from having a dissatisfied experience, we've taken to Reddit to make a list of popular fast food items that customers just can't stop complaining about. Buckle up to read some shocking revelations!

There's technically not much that could go wrong with a McDonald's McCrispy chicken sandwich, as it's essentially just a crispy chicken filet in a bun. But customers say otherwise, with some going as far as calling it the worst chicken sandwich any fast food chain has to offer.

Most customers have heavily criticized this sandwich on Reddit because the chicken in the sandwich has somehow always been off. A few have complained about it not being crispy, contrary to the name of the sandwich, with one Redditor writing, "Absolutely nothing crispy about it. I have had it a couple of times, and it is never 'crispy'." But this complaint is sadly still the nicest one of the lot.

Some other folks on Reddit have outright called the sandwich inedible and given details about why they think that. In a thread about the McCrispy, a customer stated, "The last 3 ... times I tried a McCrispy it was literally inedible. One time it was basically all gristle and the other 2 was I believe what they call 'woody chicken.' It was like trying to eat a tendon. It even made this tearing/squeaking sound as I attempted to rip off a bite to chew." A lot of Redditors agreed with this comment, so that's definitely not a good sign. In fact, we also ranked all of McDonald's chicken sandwiches from worst to best, and the McCrispy, unsurprisingly, came in last. Should you still get the sandwich? We leave that up to you.

Buttery mashed potatoes topped with gravy can be the ultimate side with fried chicken — no wonder KFC has had the dish on its menu for a while. Disappointingly though, many customers on Reddit haven't had the best things to say about it lately, with one of the complaints being about the quantity offered in the individual side portion. There's actually a thread on r/ExpectationVsReality where a customer shared a picture of the side portion of the mashed potatoes with gravy next to a battery and their wallet, just to show how small it is.

Many other customers joined in to complain about the same, with one Redditor humorously writing, "That is the smallest mash and gravy container I've ever seen. It looks like it's a serving for babies. Lol." Another called it a rip-off, given that this portion costs $3.49.

Some folks also seem to have issues with how the mashed potatoes and gravy taste now. A Redditor stated in the same thread that they barely taste like mashed potatoes, as most of it is just gravy. In a separate post where someone ranked fast food mashed potatoes from worst to best, a customer commented, "KFC used to be really good, but it just tastes weird and artificial now." All in all, even though some customers may still consider it an okay item, for most, it doesn't live up to expectations anymore.

Chipotle's burritos, bowls, and tacos can be hit or miss. But its quesadillas? They've been a miss for many customers for quite some time. While most people don't think there's anything wrong with the flavor of these quesadillas, they've been complaining quite a lot about their size, and how the item isn't worth the high price.

A customer started a thread on Reddit complaining about the portion. They wrote, "Just tried the chicken quesadilla for the first time and while it was very good, the size and options isn't worth the cost. I'd rather just get a bowl and make one at home with that. They either need to be bigger or need the option to add stuff inside the quesadilla like a bowl or burrito." Many folks agreed and also added that they don't think the Mexican chain overall offers value for their money anymore.

It's worth noting that even one of Chipotle's employees agreed with the complaint, stating: "They are the biggest rip off on the menu. As a worker the only thing I'd even consider worth the money is a bowl with side tortilla or side taco shells." Overall, while there is some debate about the menu item's size and whether its price is justified, most customers really aren't happy with Chipotle's puny little quesadillas.

Burger King has had onion rings on its menu for a really long time, and the complaints about them have also been going around on Reddit for almost just as long. The most common complaint about these onion rings is that they aren't made with real onions. A customer started a thread on Reddit stating the same issue, writing, "There isn't even onion in the 'onion' rings. How cheap can you get. Onions aren't even expensive."

The question here is, what's really in Burger King's onion rings? Well, they're made with a combination of dehydrated minced onions and dehydrated chopped onions, along with a bunch of other ingredients. Essentially, the filling inside the ring is made up of an onion paste rather than a real, whole piece of onion. Though many customers complained about how disappointed they are with this, a few others jumped in to mention that they've always been made this way at the fast food chain. One customer wrote, "I'm 38 and they've always been this way," while another commented, "Even back 20 years ago they were like this."

Besides this complaint, a few have also mentioned other issues with these onion rings. Redditors have stated that the rings are always soggy, and that, while they used to be good in years past despite not being made with real onions, the quality has recently gone downhill.

Pizza Hut is known for having a delicious buttery crust, so the one thing you wouldn't expect from them is dry bread in any form. Lately though, customers have been complaining a bit too much about receiving dry breadsticks. Based on the complaints, it seems like the pizza chain isn't applying butter on the breadsticks anymore, or the ones being served to customers are straight up blocks of dry bread.

A customer shared a picture of dry breadsticks on Reddit, and many others seconded the experience. While one customer defended the pizza chain by commenting, "No, you just got a bad batch, and for some reason they didn't add the butter," most others stated that the chain doesn't care about its customers anymore, so these things are more likely to happen.

On a separate thread where a customer also shared a picture of breadsticks that looked off, another commented, "I ordered them recently as well. I had a hard time eating them because it was like biting into rubber after it cools, can't believe that they charge $8 for this" — which is a fair point. If we believe an employee from this thread, the problem with all these dry breadsticks seems to be that they were made with old dough. This circles back to the fact that the pizza chain isn't taking customer satisfaction into account anymore, which is essentially what customers are tired of.

It's great that Papa John's offers so many flavors of wings, in both bone-in and boneless variations. While those wings look pretty great in the advertisements and on its website, they don't look nearly as appetizing when you buy them. And of course, that's what most people are complaining about on Reddit. This complaint has been going around for both bone-in and boneless wings from the pizza chain.

For instance, a customer posted a picture of the honey chipotle boneless wings from Papa John's on Reddit, showing the wings had barely any sauce on them, contrary to what the chain has advertised. Customers also complained in the same thread about how they didn't even look like boneless wings, but instead seemed like nuggets, which they thought was quite a letdown. One Redditor reacted to the image, writing, "Those wings are so bad they should be paying us," while another commented, "False advertising and 8 s**t wings for $15.99, lol. That's how much the pizza should cost."

On a different thread, a customer posted a similar picture of bone-in wings covered with barely any sauce. Many commenters jumped in to criticize the pizza place and its wings with similar complaints about false advertising and the food's unappetizing appearance. Lesson learned: If you're getting a side from Papa John's, get anything but the wings, as more often than not they will disappoint you.

Not too long ago, Chick-fil-A changed the original recipe for its waffle fries in an attempt to make them crispier. But most customers didn't appreciate the change, and have been complaining ever since that the fries don't taste good anymore. There are, in fact, entire Reddit threads about these fries, where customers have discussed in depth how disappointed they are with the new version.

In one of these posts, someone commented, "I worked at CFA two decades ago (god I'm old) ... they used to have salt and be effing delicious. Now the fries are like eating a raw potato." A customer wrote in the same thread, "They really are horrible. Taste weird, way too hard, don't last, and get stale and tasteless and disappointing."

While there are a few comments about the fries being a bit too hard, the more common issue most folks seem to have is with how these fries taste. Many customers have started calling these fries bland. Perhaps in its attempt to make the fries stay crispy for longer, Chick-fil-A did messed with the base recipe and compromised on their flavor heavily. The saddest part about this is that these fries are also one of those fast food sides that are quietly getting more expensive while their quality isn't matching the price. So, customers being enraged is a given. All we can say in this situation is, the waffle fries might be one of those things you'd want to reconsider ordering at Chick-fil-A.

This fast food chain is known for serving amazing burgers, but at the same time, the complaints about its fries are endless. In fact, some even say that the plain French fries are one of those items you might want to avoid ordering at In-N-Out at all costs. The most common complaint related to these fries on various Reddit threads is about how they aren't very crispy.

A customer started a thread on Reddit asking why In-N-Out doesn't consider frying their fries until they are well done, given all the complaints. One commenter agreed, saying, "Limpy soggy fries are not popular." Another customer commented, "Seriously idk anyone who enjoys the fries the way they are normally served. Just add an extra 45-60 secs and call it a day." 

The funny thing is, many of them also mentioned that the well done fries from In-N-Out are not good either. One of them even compared the texture of the well-done version to dried twigs, which is alarming. The only silver lining when it comes to In-N-Out's fries is that you can ask the employees to make them "light well," which brings their texture to somewhere between too soggy and too crispy. Although that isn't the usual way the fast food chain serves their fries, at least there's something to save yourself from getting disappointed. 

Most customers have great memories of eating crispy and juicy chicken nuggets from Wendy's. But over some time, these great memories seem to have turned into horrid ones, as the dish's quality has taken quite a hit.

On Reddit, a customer started a thread with a picture of the nuggets they got from Wendy's. They wrote, "What happened to the nuggets?? I have gotten them from three different locations multiple times over the past few months and they're like this every time, even when they're supposedly fresh. They used to melt in my mouth, now I can't even choke down the texture." Many others joined in to say the nuggets used to be really good once upon a time, but now they are almost always off in some way.

In the same thread, a lot of customers were also upset that the quality of these nuggets have gone downhill, but the price has increased. One of them wrote, "What's crazy is the average price of one nugget is now nearly $0.60 compared to $0.20 just 10 years ago." That, let's just say, is a major jump. What Wendy's has been doing with the nuggets lately, we really don't know, though a customer claimed that the chain is allegedly adding soy filler to them. There's no explanation for the massive price hike either, other than inflation. But the takeaway is, it's wiser to get something else from the fast food chain.

The vanilla cone from McDonald's is the simplest sweet treat on the menu, but, surprisingly, its price is exorbitant. Customers are understandably livid about how something so simple and small could cost close to $4 at some locations.

Someone started a thread on Reddit with the same concern, stating the vanilla cone in the Washington Area costs $3.89, and asked others if the price was a bit too much. Most other customers agreed, with one noting that, "A tub of real ice cream costs the same or just a bit more, so yes." That said, the price only creeps toward $4 in places with a high cost of living, such as Manhattan, so these shocking prices aren't ubiquitous. For customers in less expensive areas, the price hovered in the approximately $1.50 to $2.50 range.

Interestingly, in the same thread, many Redditors have pointed out another issue besides the price. It's the fact that the ice cream machine is broken quite often. One of them agreed with the high price and also wrote, "And good luck even getting it, because chances are the machine isn't working that day." So, here's the final verdict based on the complaints: Unless you're willing to spend a lot, avoid ordering the vanilla cone from McDonald's if you're in a pricey location. Besides that, in case the location closest to you actually offers the item at a decent price, just hope the machine is working when you plan to get yourself a vanilla cone.